Uchiha Legacy
by JeffC FTW
Summary: Hanaru and her son adjust to life in Konoha when the Fourth Great War ends, except Sasuke deals with it in a much different way than his sister-in-law and nephew - but what will happen when Ren learns who his father was? Final in the Uchiha Series.


**Here comes the final chapter of the Uchiha oneshot series, in which we find the aftermath of how Hanaru and her baby son adjust to living in Konoha after the Fourth Great War ends, and that also means Sasuke's life in the process. It's been difficult physically as well as emotionally. What was even more involved Ren growing up and how knowing about his father affected him - will he be better than his father or turn like his uncle Sasuke? Read this final shot and see how loose ends are tied up...**

 **Ending is gonna bring you to tears, so grab your Kleenex and some wine or something (if you're legal age, of course).**

 **Disclaimer: Hanaru and Ren are the only characters that belong to me. The others are property of Kishimoto-sensei. :)**

 _"I finally meet my sister."_

Those were the first words that he spoke to her when they crossed paths as soon as the Shinobi were being treated, others taken for burial and services made. She waited until all was calmed down by the time it was done, and then she chose to go to the Hokage who listened to her story. There was no point in lying about where she had been all this time...but in the end, it would have been discovered either way, and she still feared for her son's future.

Tsunade had been the previous and served a purpose in the war - she saw the lady from afar, the granddaughter of the Shodaime Hashirama, with awe - but now that the fighting was over, she was stepping down because she was weary of the seat. Although, it didn't seem she regretted leading her village in the slightest.

Kakashi Hatake was now the new Hokage, but yet to officially be inaugurated. His silver hair, lower half of his face covered by a mask, and his left eye with a vertical scar where she heard the Sharingan once was. It had been given to him by a friend who sacrificed his life. And this man had also been her brother and brother-in-law's sensei.

To stand before him when all the mess calmed down was nothing intimidating, but the uncertainty was there. _And him being Dad's student changes nothing._

"Hanaru..." He said her name, but it didn't make her relax. His single revealed eye fell to the sleeping boy in her arms, noting the obvious Uchiha hair and features. "...I haven't seen you since you were a little one."

"That was what Lord Third said," she told him with a humorless smile. "And you were my father's pupil."

"I was. And now that we have laid that out, you finally return after all these years when the fourth war has just ended. I wonder why you couldn't have waited a little longer." She sighed sharply and regarded him pointedly.

She told him her entire story in a heartbeat, though it took quite some time, and when she was done speaking, he responded with a single blink and an exhale of breath. "...I see," he said at last. _He believes and sides with me, but that's not enough._ "Your husband was a good man who did terrible things, but for a purpose...except in order to prevent chaos in the village, the Uchiha clan name can't be tarnished. There isn't any proof, either, and Itachi wouldn't want the people questioning this village's leadership either."

And that troubled her most. "Even if there WAS proof, then couldn't it be said instead that it was against Lord Third's orders?" she demanded, keeping her voice lowered to make sure Ren didn't start crying.

Hatake seemed to ponder this. "It could be said, _if_ there was. But as of this moment, what comes is the stability that we have spent a lifetime fighting to achieve...and that also means Sasuke must face the consequences of his actions." Which meant that, despite his crucial help to win the war, it wouldn't make up for his crimes against the Five Kage, Killer Bee, and a couple other things. And on top of that, he attacked his own former team when they tried to bring him home against his will. Safe to say, she was inclined to agree, but -

"But what about me and my son here?"

"Well, when word gets out that you are Naruto's sister, they will also wish to know the identity of the child's father. And if you don't disclose that information, one day when his Sharingan activates - and that is an _if_ \- there's a chance that they'll piece together it's an Uchiha, but if not Sasuke, that's a harsh lie you have to conjure yourself. If they find out you are Itachi Uchiha's widow, they'll come after you and your son." _But Ren mostly._

"I couldn't care less what happens to me," Hanaru said coolly, "but I would rather give my life up as well rather than allow my child to be treated like a monster's son."

Kakashi closed his eyes for the moment, nodding shortly. "Then for the time being, you should return to where you are staying until I call you back myself. Where are you residing?"

"At the inn," she answered. "But as of now, there is no job I have since I just arrived." _But maybe I can be a messenger here, anything useful, but Ren needs me. Maybe I'll be given an office position instead of a waitress or a dancer..._ "I've always had odd jobs instead of the dangerous life of a Shinobi, and therefore I have no desire to become one now," she told the Hokage firmly, seeing the understanding in his eyes.

But that also meant her son could want to, someday. And that worried her despite the letter Itachi left for him.

"There is also one more thing I want. Itachi's corpse was preserved by Madara - or Tobi, whatever you can call him. But to leave him there without a proper burial, disrespecting him..." The corners of her eyes burned with the tears, which he understood.

"I promise I'll send someone to collect him, since the Akatsuki don't occupy their headquarters anymore. We'll give him the rites he is entitled to, but not for the whole village to find out..."

She left then and there with her son starting to wake up. The two masked ANBU guarding the outside of the office doors didn't acknowledge her as she didn't do the same to them - but then she found herself nearly running into someone. Her eyes met bright blue ones that matched her, and then she took in a shock of yellow hair in a matching face - "Oh, God. Naruto, it's you!" Hanaru gasped in spite of herself, then cleared her throat just as he scrutinized her for a moment before it seemed to hit him and he said the words.

"You're...Hanaru. I finally meet my sister." Then his face broke into a broad grin before he flinched, and she saw why: his right lower arm was bandaged and apparently showing a _new arm._ Could that mean Hashirama Senju's chakra was being used to give him a new limb? _Hopefully Sasuke is getting it..._

"Yes. It's...nice to finally meet you," she said softly, looking down at her son in her arms. He looked down and cracked a little snicker, commenting how cute the baby was. Ren looked up at him and cooed, reaching out for him. Naruto offered him his good finger to take.

"Wow! I forget babies' grips are impressive so quickly. What's his name?"

Hanaru laughed, happy he somehow picked on that her child was male. "Ren."

Naruto pulled his finger from the child's hold. "Nice name. And I got to say, he looks like his daddy," he said. They were alone at the moment, so maybe no one would hear them for now - including those ANBU outside the Hokage's office. Her brother's expression became grim.

"I only just met you, and yet our first conversation shifts to him."

She nodded. "I have so much to share with you, but...Jiraiya-sensei told me everything you've done before he died." The mention of his master and her protector made his face fall.

"Pervy Sage would have been happy you came home," he said quietly. "And I think he would have liked this little guy." He chuckled. "Isn't it funny? Sasuke and I share a nephew. The _teme_ didn't admit it, but I think he likes him." _Maybe he does, but not the way you do,_ otouto.

It seemed that despite brother and sister meeting up for the first time, things might be looking up, but that still left the main problem: she had to think about a story to tell the rest of the world, which meant twisting this and that, but if anything, she would rather be dead than lying to agree that her late husband and father of their son was a cold-blooded monster. Even Naruto knew that, too. That was when he told her that he was going to see the Hokage because it regarded Sasuke.

"It's not going to be good, I can already tell," she said in a hushed voice to Ren as soon as his other uncle was gone. Now they were out the front door of the Hokage Tower and heading back to the inn until Kakashi summoned her again regarding his decision for her and her son.

~o~

 _"No one is permitted to see the prisoner other than Morino-san and Lord Hokage, young lady."_

Hanaru tried to see him, with the baby in her arms, which told him they were allowed to live in the village - but what the heck was she thinking about coming here and to try to talk his jailers into letting her at least speak to him? And it was like her to be stubborn as hell like her brother was: _"Why not? Hokage's orders? He gave me special permission himself, or if you don't believe me, you can consult him yourself. He's still my brother-in-law, making him this child's uncle."_

 _"Sasuke Uchiha is an international criminal just like your husband was. Whether you were innocent or not in knowing who Itachi Uchiha was, he is the most notorious murderer in the village's history. It's a pity the child will grow up knowing that. Now leave."_

He'd been blinded, placed in a straight jacket, when he heard all this. This was his punishment because no one trusted him outside his old team. What use would he be without his arm for Chidori? He half-expected her to lash out, but because of her son, it didn't happen. Instead, she'd huffed and turned to leave, and that was all. Internally, he seethed. How DARE they treat her like that?!

A few days later, she was back, and this time with Kakashi in tow.

"Five minutes is all I'm afraid can be given," he told them both, and then he was left with Hanaru, who knelt down before him, though he couldn't see. He could only hear very well.

"You heard what those guards said to me." The disgust and contempt was present. He nodded, not trusting his own words. "If I had the power, I'd kill them or very much disgrace them myself. Personal satisfaction is what I need right now."

Sasuke cleared his throat, not wanting to hear anymore about what his sister-in-law endured. _The less I hear, the better off I am._ They kept him locked up in here and used every method in the book to whip him into making him think back on everything he did, but the one thing that made him eager to leave was the fact that when Naruto became Hokage after Kakashi, he would really make Itachi's dream of peace a reality, and Hanaru and their child would be happy. But right now...

"You shouldn't say such things about these guys. They're Shinobi. I know you're not here just to say you want their blood."

He could just picture her shaking her head. "No. I only wanted you to know we're doing fine. The Hokage gave me a position as his secretary, although I am going to be given part-time studying, despite me knowing everything I needed. Ren and I are being taken care of." There was a pause. "Why don't you have your arm healed, Sasuke?" she demanded, and he sighed.

"I need the reminder. I'm done fighting your brother and I want the village to have what Itachi wanted of it. I'm going to protect it from the shadows in his name, but first there is something I need to do." So he told her, in under a few minutes, that he intended to leave the village to see the world in a new light, as individuals rather than one place like he thought the people in the village were just as responsible as the Elders had been for the pain his brother suffered.

"I guess I can agree you could use that."

Sasuke nodded. "When I come back, you'll be waiting for me...sister-in-law?" To finally say those words to her, acknowledging her as an equal - just as it had been to wake and see Sakura over him, healing him and Naruto, and he barely heard himself curse himself and say he was sorry for nearly killing her on more than one occasion, to which she said he should be - made him feel lighter than before.

He didn't expect her to rise and come closer to him, but she was meters away since he was still a prisoner, and she could not make any physical contact with him. "You know we will. We're family." She snickered then. "When you bring your ass back here, you'd better get yourself a girl." _Oh, there already is someone in mind...the one who never gave up on me. Sakura doesn't love me the way she used to, but its new level means she's never going to leave me._

"While I'm away, I hope you two are still well-cared for," Sasuke told her, hearing the baby's grunt. She snorted.

"Oh, we don't need a man if that's what you mean. I got THIS little man in my arms, and that's all I need." Which meant that she was never going to remarry for Ren's sake, and because she still loved Itachi as much as she did. But she might change her mind, for all he knew...

He stopped thinking about her when she left, knowing her choices were made, and relieved she and his nephew were doing well, although he heard a few people whispering that she was the "murderer's widow", but nobody approached her. He wished he could do something to silence them, but if he lashed, then his owing to Kakashi and Naruto for saving him was for nothing. The village had seen enough, by Orochimaru, the Akatsuki - and him.

Hanaru's promise was kept when she, holding the baby as usual, appeared at the gate with Kakashi and Sakura to see him off. And because of Itachi, he found himself using what his beloved brother used to do to him, on both his sister-in-law and then the pink-haired woman who turned cherry-red.

"Until I get back." He then looked down into his nephew's bright blue eyes, set within his father's face, and smiled. _They are his mother's eyes - and his Uncle Naruto's._

 _Let's see what path you'll choose someday, Ren._

~o~

 _Years later_

When the Kiri Genin fell, he found himself the final winner of the third round. He looked up, having every right to feel proud of himself. He looked up at the crowd, at his peers, the civilians, the other Proctors and several other Shinobi who came to watch for their own enjoyment - and his uncle, the Seventh Hokage, gave him a secret thumbs up, which was his specialty.

Aunt Hinata, Boruto and Himawari were also there, and so were Aunt Sakura and Sarada. He snorted to himself. _Just like Uncle Sasuke to not be here either, on an important day like now. When did he ever show up on birthdays and holidays either?_

But one mattered most as far as he was concerned: his mother was wiping tears of joy from her face. She blew him a little kiss that made him blush and lower his face to his fallen opponent who was collected and loaded onto a stretcher to be taken to the infirmary. He'd been subjected to the Fire Ball, his shuriken jutsu, and the _genjutsu_ that he placed using his single finger. Sakura had told him sometimes all you needed was ONE finger to take your opponent down.

He could also do Wind Style which fanned the flames. At this rate, he saw himself being one of the strongest Shinobi in the future.

 _Just like Dad was._

Thinking about his father brought the pang forth. All his life as he looked around and saw his cousins with their fathers - except Sarada hadn't seen hers since she was much younger, but at least hers was still living - as well as the other children, he wondered why he was the only one without a male figure. When he tried to ask his mother, Hanaru would force a smile and wipe away the tears before they fell. That meant she was keeping something from him, but it always ended in the same thing, which he found himself tired of now at his age. He was Chuunin, a full-fledged ninja. He was going to go on C-ranked and B-ranked missions now, so when was she going to tell him about his father?

 _"You do look like him...except the lines on the face. He had them, and you didn't."_

After that, she showed him a picture of what she meant. In it was her in a stunning blue kimono patterned with brightly colored blossoms, and beside her was a man in a black cloak covered with red clouds. The resemblance was so uncanny, though it was clear the guy's dark hair was longer than his ever would be; the Konoha headband was slashed in the middle. And there were the lines his mom mentioned, beneath the eyes and downward turned. This man's face spoke of wisdom beyond his years.

The man was his father. And this was a wedding photograph. _Mom was so beautiful - and they were both so happy._

It seemed Hanaru Uchiha knew today was the day, when the celebrating was over, and they were back home in the Uchiha district. It had once stood in his ancestors' times, but in the chaos of the last great war when he was still an infant, it collapsed to shreds. Now it was all one great house instead of an entire, smaller village outside the main land.

He remembered his childhood spent being glared at by the villagers - mainly the adults - and he did make a few friends at the Academy. Now with his promotion, maybe those jerks could see his potential. They never said why they hated him so much, had little contact with his mother, but today he was going to find out why. He just wanted to be acknowledged and respected for who HE was and not based on whoever his father was. _That has to be a reason, but Mom always said he was the greatest man she'd ever met. What do these bastards have against him?_

When he found himself in his room after dinner, he thought back to when he figured the conversation would shift to his father; he chose to wait for his mom to be the one to start, but it seemed she wasn't ready yet. He decided that he wanted to be ready for bed, though it was still early, and the sky was still dark. He never felt so exhausted after everything in a long time, but if you overexerted yourself, you might get killed.

His red sweatshirt he zipped up the front, which was still his favorite to wear, and sometimes it made his mom annoyed because he sometimes would sleep in something and wear it the next day, but he learned to make sure if it smelled bad or not. Behind it was the Uchiha family crest - that red-and-white fan which intensified the flames of will, which was the village's motto: the Will of Fire. His headband which he was proud to wear on his forehead was removed. He found himself staring at a boy becoming a young man now. His eyes were bright and blue as the skies, and his dark hair reached the nape of his neck, flat on every angle, and his bangs were the same length. This was where Hanaru often told him he "looked like his father just like that".

Ren turned around to look at his closed bedroom door when it was knocked on. "Yeah, Mom?" She poked her head in and then slid her body in, closing the door behind her. In her hands was a piece of paper - and a _necklace?!_ He never wore jewelry in his life...but then he saw the loads of writing on that parchment she held out to him. "What is this?"

"You wanted to know who your father was," Hanaru answered as she sat down on the bed with him, where he found himself reading under his lamp. "You already know his name was Itachi Uchiha, and he left this to you right after you were born, although he died the day you were..."

He had never been so confused. She was saying that his father died on the day he was born, but to write him a letter AFTER? But if he wanted his answers, it was all right in front of him.

Knowing his mom read this long before him, he bit his bottom lip with a little anticipation.

 _My son, there isn't enough time for me to tell you everything, because there is something important I have to do. Your mother is all you have left, and my only greatest regret is never being there to see you born...but the most inexcusable is that I will never be there to see you become the man I never was._

 _I have spent a lifetime never knowing who I was, so I don't want you to endure the fate I have. I was born in a time of war, so I let myself be enlisted in the ninja ranks, protecting from the shadows rather than seeking glory. While it was not really my choice, I cared about the welfare of the village and everyone who lived in it - just as I cared about the welfare of your mother, your uncle, and you. I don't forgive myself for the choices I made. I failed at so many things, but none can outweigh the dark path I was forced to take when all other options failed._

 _Ren, if you decide to be a Shinobi, all I can tell you is that revenge never makes anything better. Your uncle made that mistake, even though I drove him to do it. Our clan was discriminated in the beginning due to the actions of an ancestor, and the ghosts haunted the elders who lived to see it. I was placed as a double agent to spy on the higher-ups, but the truth was that if the Uchiha seized insurrection, civil war would break out and lead to the Fourth Great Ninja War which could not happen on my watch because I have seen the horrors at the age where you should have been protected, but I killed a man for the first time at age four._

 _The Fourth World War, nevertheless, happened years after my death. In fact, it is happening now at this very moment as I speak. You are wondering why I am writing to you if I am dead; I have become a reanimated Shinobi. It was a forbidden jutsu that defiled the laws of nature, and all you need to know is that I was called forth to be used as a pawn against my own village and comrades, and your mother was a witness to it all. But as I said, there isn't much time to tell the entire story. I will leave it to your mother and Uncle Sasuke (my dearest younger brother whom I still loved despite our turbulent times, and my death happening before his eyes just like I killed our parents and the clan, if only to protect him and the village)._

 _I shouldered all the burdens of life on my shoulders, and it in turn made me so ill that I might have died from the disease that ravaged me for a couple years before I faced your uncle as his means to avenge our clan, which he believed was proud. He never would have known the truth had he not been told by the enemy who knew more than I should have realized._

 _Ren, my precious boy, there is so much I wish I could pass on, but I must stop the Reanimation Jutsu, and it should bring the war to an end. So I leave you this gift, this necklace that has been mine, and my love like a father. I leave the same for your mother, whom I have no regrets sharing my life with until the end of my days - and having a treasured child with._

 _Your father,_

 _Itachi Uchiha_

"Oh, Ren!" Hanaru yelped, reaching for the tissue box that was on his nightstand, and handing him three. One: he'd bitten his bottom lip and could taste his own blood. And secondly: he'd been crying like a baby. _Damn it, why am I doing this?_

When he was done and tossed them into the trash can, he looked up at his mother whose bottom lip was quivering. "Mom...he was a prodigy, wasn't he?" he croaked. It all made sense: his dad was the old-fashioned clan's pride and joy, and using his trauma and experiences in war, they got him to be the little spy so they could try and take over the village. But he saw their intentions and wanted to protect the Leaf - but that also meant to spare only Sasuke, his younger brother who knew nothing of the clan's schemes. He understood it all. "Tell me everything from your mouth then that he didn't say in here..."

Hanaru nodded. "I'll tell you everything else you need to know about him, but you must make a promise to not make the mistakes he and your Uncle Sasuke made."

When she did, he found himself feeling livid at the life he lived...but he also understood that Itachi Uchiha did it for his family and for his village against all odds. But Ren could hardly believe a word of it: his father let himself be branded a traitor when he should have been a hero. Just like Naruto and Sasuke. He should be here, with him and Hanaru, and he should have said "That's my boy" or something like that. He should have watched him train, taught him his many jutsu - although Uncle Sasuke, Kakashi and Naruto as well as his Academy teachers had done the job well - but would he still have married his mother if things had been different?

If he had anything to say about it, he'd say that it was yes on a high note.

He decided all of these reasons based on what his mother told him. He hated the Uchiha clan for plotting the coup, but he also despised the Second Hokage who started it all - but before him, Madara Uchiha.

He hated Danzo for causing trouble for his father and making Shisui Uchiha, a best friend of Itachi's and a major opposition against the ploy, commit suicide in order to stop everything.

He hated Orochimaru for corrupting Uncle Sasuke.

He hated Obito Uchiha for causing further damage by revealing the truth about his father to his uncle, leading him down an even more destructive path. _I wonder if Aunt Sakura knows about this, and if she did, has she told cousin Sarada yet?_ Somehow he doubted it.

He hated Kabuto for reanimating Itachi - but even in death, his dad still defended his family and village. He still died proud and happy.

Lastly, he hated that the truth about his father had to be covered up all because the village couldn't question the government's methods, which would mean disaster. But what the hell? If he could talk to Uncle Naruto about this, he might know what to do. He understood now why the adults of this village looked at him the way he did, and Naruto knew what that kind of pain was like. He HAD to know this...

 _Dad...why did you have to let this happen to you? Why wouldn't you let the world know the truth...?_

Uncle Sasuke had understood his older brother's pain, but he took revenge - the easier way - and in doing so, hurt those who cared about him. But look at him now; he had a family and a village to protect now, but at least he was alive and well, though his wife and daughter must miss him. In a small, short-lived way, he envied his cousin because she had something he didn't.

Now he looked at the necklace which Hanaru fastened around his neck, the cool metal making him shiver. It was so foreign, but at the same time, he felt a step closer to his father who sacrificed his entire life for those he loved. Just to make sure his son had the life he had now.

"My God," his mother whispered, leaning to kiss his forehead, "if only he could see you now. He'd be so proud of you as I am - as we all are."

He closed his eyes and leaned into her soft chest, saying nothing and keeping Itachi's last words to him in his hold, keeping him close and not wanting to throw this away. Ever. And he was going to wear this necklace until the day he died.

This was the day Ren Uchiha made his solemn vow, newly made Chuunin, and put his hand to the three-ringed chain that had been his father's. _I'm going to be a Shinobi like you, Dad, but I won't let myself take the same dark path you did. If someone forces me, then I'll gladly let myself be killed for protecting Mom and everyone else._

 **Man I can't believe this oneshot series is over with. But I have no regrets. Reviews please. :D**


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